Archive for the ‘san diego padres’ Category

Giants southpaw Madison Bumgarner shut out the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday night, 8-0, propelling San Francisco into the National League Division Series, where they will face the Washington Nationals. Bumgarner threw a complete game four hitter in leading the Giants.

“We got outplayed tonight,” Pittsburgh second baseman Neil Walker said after his team was eliminated from the post season. “Bumgarner went out there, he did what he wanted to do. He put up the strike zone and he made it tough on us.”

The Giants victimized Pittsburgh starter Edinson Volquez, who was rocked for five runs in just five innings of work. The Pirates followed with five relievers, but Pittsburgh’s hitters still couldn’t get to Bumgarner, who threw 109 pitches in the game, 79 of them for strikes.

The Giants win sets up a five game series with the Nationals in Washington. The Nats are expected to throw ace Stephen Strasburg in the opening game of the series on Friday, while the Giants will throw veteran Jake Peavy and follow with another veteran, Tim Hudson. The Nationals took five of the seven games in which they faced the Giants this year.

While Washington has yet to make its final roster and starting rotation decisions, the team is expected to follow Strasburg with Jordan Zimmermann and Doug Fister. Gio Gonzalez will be the sole Washington lefty starter should Washington need him. The first game of the series will be played at 3 pm on Friday at Nationals Park.

Those Are The Details, Now For The Headlines: Washington’s Internet Baseball Writers Association announced their 2014 player awards on Wednesday, and CFG was one of the voters. Anthony Rendon took top honors among the voters in winning the Goose Goslin Most Valuable Player Award while Jordan Zimmermann was named the winner of the Walter Johnson starting pitcher award . . .

Centerfield Gate was outside this mainstream: we voted Denard Span the team MVP and Doug Fister the team’s best starting pitcher (this was before we saw Zimmermman’s no-hitter, which might have changed our vote). Drew Storen received the best reliever award, while Adam LaRoche was named the teams best slugger . . .

It’s worth reviewing the season’s final player stats — to show just how solid the Nationals were in the regular season. Washington’s Span led the the N.L. in hits (tied with Philadelphia’s Ben Revere), Anthony Rendon was fifth and Jayson Werth was in the top 30 . . .

Anthony Rendon led the league in runs scored (with 111), while Werth was third in OBP (.394). Rendon and Span were fourth in doubles, Adam LaRoche was fifth in RBIs and Span was fifth in stolen bases. It was a solid year for the team at the plate (fifth in BA, fourth in OBP, fifth in Slugging, fourth in OPS) . . .

But no one outshone the Nationals on the mound, where Washington finished first in team ERA, was second in the league in shutouts (behind the Dodgers) and gave up fewer walks than anyone. Doug Fister and Jordan Zimmermann finished in the top ten in ERA, while Stephen Strasburg finished tied with Johnny Cueto for the league lead in strikeouts . . .

The Nationals had the second best bullpen in the National League (just behind San Diego, and measured by bullpen ERA), and has to be accounted as having one of the best benches. The Nats weighed in with the best record in the National League, at 96-66. But the most important test yet remains, and it begins tomorrow — against the Giants . . .

Somewhere here soon, and actually any minute now, Nats skipper Matt Williams will tell the Washington sports press that he doesn’t care whether the Nationals face the Pirates (and, well, perhaps the Cardinals) or the Giants in the playoffs — “they’re both good teams.” That’s fine for Matt, but the rest of us should have a decided preference: Let’s play the Giants.

It’s not that we don’t like the Pirates (we love them, and if the Nats weren’t in the playoffs . . .), it’s that of the two teams that the Nats are likely to face in the playoffs first round, the Giants are (arguably) the easier opponent. They’ve had an inconsistent September (swept by the Padres and dumped by the Dodgers) and, with the exception of Madison Bumgarner (and Jake Peavy) their pitching is a mess.

The Giants know it. Having backed into the playoffs, Giants skipper Bruce Bochy is now juggling his starting staff to make certain San Francisco puts Bumgarner on the mound on Wild Card Wednesday, no matter who the Giants face. Which means that, if the Giants were to win, the Nationals would face either Ryan Vogelsong, Jake Peavy or Tim Hudson in the first game of the N.L. Division series — while Bumgarner sits.

San Francisco will enter the playoffs with the worst pitching stats of any of the five N.L finishers, with a so-so team ERA (at 3.52), a habit of giving up big runs to small teams and a back of the rotation that has been absolutely shelled.

The Giants lost to the Padres 4-1 last night at home, but gave up eight runs to them on Thursday, in a game the franchise said it had to win. Earlier in the month, the McCoveys were outscored by the Friars in a three game set, 16-2.

But our argument doesn’t have as much to do with the Giants as it does with the Pirates. Pittsburgh is red hot (they’ve won nine of their last eleven), their line-up is that much more formidable and their starting rotation is tougher than San Francisco’s. Pittsburgh is the N.L.’s big secret: they can hit, they can pitch, they’re patient at the plate and they’re fast.

Alvarez showed why he’s one of Miami’s premier starters, particularly at home. Alvarez allowed just three hits while striking out four, outdueling Washington’s Stephen Strasburg. Strasburg matched Alvarez’s numbers, also allowing just four hits. The Washington righty also struck out four Marlins.

The Nationals had plenty of scoring opportunities against Alvarez, but couldn’t find a way to get their runners across the plate. The Nats had the bases loaded in the second inning with no outs, but failed to score, and then had Anthony Rendon on third and Bryce Harper on first in the fifth but couldn’t push a run across.

Alvarez admitted that he struggled in the early going, before finding his command. “I was in the bullpen and I didn’t feel like I always feel before I hit the field. I wasn’t into it. For several innings I had to fight through it,” Alvarez said of his performance. “When the bases loaded with nobody out, I started to find my control of my pitches and of the game.”

After showing a solid ability to push runners across the plate earlier in the current road trip, the Nationals reclaimed their inability to score with runners on base. Washington left 26 on base last night, threatening Miami’s lead in the last of the 9th, when they again failed to score with the bases loaded.

The game also marked a revival for the Marlins’ Giancarlo Stanton, who entered the game at zero for his last nine at bats. But Stanton certainly looked good against the Nationals, lacing a double to left against Strasburg in the bottom of the 6th, scoring Jordany Valdespin.

“I haven’t felt good for a while now,” Stanton said after last night’s victory. “I did a little setup pregame. Hopefully I’m feeling better and more comfortable at the plate. Today was a good plus to that.”

Those Are The Details, Now For The Headlines: The St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers are in the hunt for starting pitchers, with both teams inquiring about Boston’s Jon Lester, who’s a free agent after the season. The Redbirds have kicked the tires on nearly everyone who’s even remotely available, according to baseball analysts . . .

The once-upon-a-time pitching rich Cardinals are mired right in the middle of the pack with their staff, at least statistically, with both Michael Wacha and Jaime Garcia sidelined with arm issues. Wacha has a tweaky shoulder while Garcia is out for the duration with nerve problems in his pitching arm . . .

The loss of Wacha and Garcia have not sent the Cardinals into a tailspin, but St. Louis will need to bolster its pitching to have a shot at another world title. Everyone is in play: the Redbirds have scouted Cole Hamels, Cliff Lee and A.j. Burnett of the Phillies, Ian Kennedy of the Padres and Cleveland’s Justin Masterson, in addition to Lester . . .

Soriano began the catastrophic 9th by walking Casey McGehee, the Marlins’ lead-off hitter, then gave up a double to Garrett Jones. A Marcell Ozuna single then scored McGehee and Miami was suddenly in the game with no one out. Jones then scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Adeiny Hechavarria then laced a triple, after Soriano gave up a wild pitch.

Even then, the Nats were still in the game, though Miami had tied it at six. But after closer Soriano hit Donovan Solano with a pitch, Nats manager Matt Williams pulled Soriano in favor of lefty Jerry Blevins. Blevins struck out Christian Yelich before giving up the game winning single to Jeff Baker.

The game was an absolute heart breaker for Nationals fans, who’d seen their team take two of three from Cincinnati and play well on the road. Before Monday night, it even looked as if the Nationals might put some distance between themselves and the second place Atlanta Braves, who scraped by the Padres, 2-0.

The loss came at the expense of Washington starter Jordan Zimmermann, who’d pitched one of his best games of the year. Zimmermann threw seven complete innings while giving up just four hits and striking out six. The young righty ace of the Nationals staff had a fastball that Miami’s hitters couldn’t seem to touch.

“He was really good tonight. He was down in the zone, he had a great slider,” Nats’ skipper Matt Williams said of Zimmermann’s outing. “Much better than his last one. The last one was just rust. Tonight, he proved that he is back on it.”

Ross Detwiler and Drew Storen came in in relief of Zimmermann, and while lefty Detwiler gave up a single run on two hits, the Nationals were still in line for the victory — with their top closer (“the best closer in the game,” as the Washington Post described him today) coming into the game.

“Bad day for me,” Soriano said of his performance in the ninth inning. “Every pitch that I threw, I had no command. Everything that I tried to throw didn’t work.”

Those Are The Details, Now For The Headlines: The Marlins are trying to decide whether to be buyers or sellers, with the decision hinging on how they would do against the Nationals. Their stunning win tonight will undoubtedly help them to make the decision, though they remain under .500 by a single game and six games back in the standings . . .

It’s easy to see what the Marlins need: all you need do is take a look at their line-up. The Marlins can hit; they are an on-base team that registers just a tick above the Nationals in runs scored. That’s not true for their pitching staff, which ranks 11th in the National League with a 3.92 ERA . . .

The problem is that pitching isn’t that easy to find and Miami would probably hesitate to give up a top prospect for either a rental or a high-priced starter. Nor are the Marlins willing to part with any of their bullpen pieces, though they’ve reportedly received calls on fireballer Steve Cishek, who wracked up five saves in Miami’s just-completed 6-1 road trip . . .

Tanner Roark was all smiles when he walked off the mound after the 7th inning in Cincinnati last night, and for good reason. The young Washington righty was on his way to his tenth victory of the season, with the only thing left for the Nats to do was to call on one of baseball’s best bullpen to nail down the victory.

And that’s precisely what happened. Tyler Clippard came on the 8th to throw a 1-2-3 inning, while closer Rafael Soriano pitched the 9th inning to notch his 24th save of the season. And so that Nationals rolled to a 4-1 victory — winning for the seventh time in nine games and solidifying their tenuous place atop the National League East.

While Roark was supported by a 12 hit Washington attack (Denard Span was 4-5 and Anthony Rendon 2-4), this game was Roark’s. The righty gave up just three hits, struck out six and walked just one.

“It’s pretty cool just to think about,” Roark said of his performance during the 2014 campaign. “You dream ever since you’re a kid of getting to the big leagues. I took the opportunity and tried to run away with it.”

The Nationals attack victimized Cincinnati starter Alfredo Simon, who has struggled since the All Star break. In particular, Simon just couldn’t seem to master Span who, in addition to four singles, stole a base and knocked in a run. Span is 9 for 18 on Washington’s road trip with two four-hit games.

“He’s been great,” Nationals’ manager Matt Williams said of his star centerfielder. “The key for him is hitting the ball back through the middle. We’ve seen that over the last week or so, hitting the ball up the middle or the other way.”

The Reds, on the other hand, are in desperate need of a speedy singles hitter and a little bit of power. Since Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips went on the disabled list, Cincinnati has suffered a singles and power outage that has dimmed their prospects in the N.L. Central.

Reds fans are feeling it. “The Redlegs played like utter garbage,” Red Reporter intoned after the loss, “while the Senators looked bored. This game ain’t showing up on any This Week in Baseball highlight reels any time soon, unless they make a tape of ‘Least Impressive RBI Singles in Baseball History.’”

Those Are The Details, Now For The Headlines: We admit — we’ve been a tad bit remiss in posting, but it’s not like we’re sitting at the beach. We’ve been involved in other issues over the last days, and realize that we have a bit of catching up to do. That said, it’s not like we’re not paying attention . . .

For instance. We note with some pride that what we’d said about the Reds just a day or two ago, has turned out to be true. They just can’t hit. A trade for Marlon Byrd now seems in the offing, though the Phillies must be salivating on what they’ll get for him now that the Redlegs are turning desperate . . .

Unless, of course, the Reds stand pat: Which would be the equivalent of waving the white flag. That appears to be what the Red Sox have done, though perhaps with something less than the finality that seems to infect the uncertain Cincinnati front office

Yesterday, the Red Sox swapped Jake Peavy to the San Francisco Giants for two pitching prospects, which is an admission that it’s time to look to the future in Boston. Last year was a feel good story for the Red Sox, but this year is a lot less so, though the Boston press (lacking a real hook on which to hang the Sox) keeps touting Brock Holt, the next best thing in Beantown . . .

Jayson Werth’s ninth inning walk off double provided Washington with a dramatic 5-4 win over the Brewers at Nationals Park on Sunday, keeping the Nationals in first place in the National League East. The victory came after Milwaukee tied the contest in the top of the 9th on a Rickie Weeks single.

Werth’s walk-off brought the crowd of 36,000-plus to their feet in appreciation for the Washington right fielder. “That’s what it’s all about, right? It’s why we do this,” Werth said of his hit after the game. “If you find yourself in that situation and you don’t want to be there, I think you’re in the wrong line of work.”

But it wasn’t just Werth who was tough at the plate. The Nationals scalded twelve hits in the victory, including two hit days apiece from Denard Span, Adam LaRoche and Ryan Zimmerman. Zimmerman notched his fourth home run of the season in the 4th inning against Milwaukee starter Yovani Gallardo.

The Nationals’ victory sealed a series win against the Brewers, after a back-and-forth game that saw both teams fighting for the victory. The win helped retrieve a shaky start for Washington southpaw Gio Gonzalez, who gave up three runs in just 3.1 innings. But the Nationals bullpen picked up the slack, hurling 5.2 innings of one run baseball.

The Brewers hit Gonzalez hard, with Milwaukee’s usual suspects of Jonathan Lucroy and Khris Davis notching key RBIs. “It’s one of those games where you have to brush under the rug,” Gonzalez said of his less than stellar outing. “Nine days off, it didn’t help. Obviously, my command and fastball location wasn’t where I wanted it to be.”

This was a tough loss for the Brewers, who continue to make mental mistakes in close games. In the bottom of the 9th, with Washington’s Rendon headed towards home, outfielder Khris Davis overthrew the cutoff man, Jean Segura, allowing the Nationals to walk off. The play left Brewers’ manager Ron Roenicke fuming.

“If he hits the cutoff man, he’s out,” Roenicke said of the play. “And there should be somebody behind ‘Seggy,’ too, so if you overthrow him, there’s a second guy there.”

Those Are The Details, Now For The Headlines: The pressure seems to be getting to Milwaukee, who once upon a time seemed to be running away with the National League Central. But no more: Prior to the All Star break the Crew lost a crucial series in Cincinnati, dropped four in a row to the Phillies and lost a series against the Cardinals . . .

Brewers manager Ron Roenicke is ripped. “You know, I don’t care about ‘the stretch’ and what happened before,” Roenicke angrily told the press after yesterday’s loss. “We’re playing a game now. I don’t care what happened in the past. We know where we are. We’re here to win games today. That’s all we’re worried about . . .”

The Cardinals, meanwhile, have been winning (despite their loss to the Dodgers last night) and are a workmanlike 9-6 in July. And the Reds are back from the dead, even though they were swept most recently by the Yankees. Then too, playing .500 ball might just be enough to win the suddenly weak National League Central . . .

The days of Tim Lincecum’s 95 mph fastball are gone, but on Wednesday Lincecum showed the Padres his new snappier slider, mixing it with a solid change-up to hold San Diego hitless in nine innings. “Two” seems to be the operative number: The owner of two Cy Young Awards and two championship rings, this was Lincecum’s second no hitter.

“It’s hard enough to do one,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “To do two, that puts you in a little different class. I couldn’t be happier.” Lincecum, who sports an ERA north of 4.00, threw 113 pitches, 73 of them for strikes, while walking a single San Diego hitter.

“I didn’t feel like my stuff was great,” Lincecum noted after his performance. “The more it was down, the more movement it had, and I was getting the ground balls that I needed and the weak pop flies. So I was leaning on that. I didn’t feel like it was a ‘stuff’ day; I felt like it was a location day.”

Lincecum joins an elite list of 27 MLB pitchers who have notched two no-hitters or more. And he also joins Cincinnati’s Homer Bailey, Detroit’s Justin Verlander and Toronto’s Mark Buehrle as one of three active pitchers who are now looking for their third.